Report  on  a  Survey  of  the 
N.C. State  College  of  Agri¬ 
culture  and  Engineering 

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REPORT  ON  A  SURVEY 

OF  THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE 
COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE 
AND  ENGINEERING 


BY 

GEORGE  F.  ZOOK 


Specialist  in  Higher  Education 

U.  S.  BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


1923 


RALEIGH 

Bynum  Printing  Company 
1923 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/reportonsurveyofOOzook 


Report  on  a  Survey  of  the 
North  Carolina  State  College  of  Agriculture 

and  Engineering 


BY 

GEORGE  F.  ZOOK,  Specialist  in  Higher  Education 
U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education 
Washington,  D«  C. 


INTRODUCTION 

On  September  21,  19 22,  President  W.  C.  Riddick  of  the  North  Caro- 
!  lina  State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engineering  wrote  to  Dr.  John  J. 
Tigert,  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education,  stating  that,  on 
account  of  a  large  growth  of  the  student  body  at  the  college  and  the 

I  consequent  increase  in  the  faculty,  the  present  administrative  organiza¬ 
tion  of  the  college  had  become  inadequate,  and  that  as  soon  as  possible 
it  was  the  intention  to  effect  a  reorganization  which  would  more  ade¬ 
quately  meet  the  present  conditions  at  the  institution.  In  order  that 
the  proposed  reorganization  might  be  carried  out  in  the  most  satisfac¬ 
tory  manner,  President  Riddick  invited  the  winter  to  make  a  study  of 
the  present  administrative  organization  of  the  college  and  to  make 
recommendations  concerning  any  changes  which  should  be  made  in  it. 
I  am  very  sorry  that,  on  account  of  previous  engagements,  it  was  impos¬ 
sible  for  me  to  accept  this  invitation  last  autumn.  It  was  not,  indeed, 
until  the  latter  part  of  March,  1923,  that  I  was  able  to  visit  the  college 
and  to  hold  the  necessary  conferences  preliminary  to  outlining  a  report 
which  I  wish  to  submit  herewith.  I  trust  that  the  president  and  the 
board  of  trustees  will  find  this  report  useful  and  suggestive  in  effecting 
such  administrative  reorganization  as  circumstances  seem  to  make 
advisable. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  point  out  that  the  report  and 
recommendations  are  entirely  impersonal.  It  may  be  that,  on  account 
of  individual  circumstances,  it  will  be  desirable  for  the  board  of  trustees 
to  continue  certain  arrangements  at  the  college  which  do  not  appear  to 
me  logical.  Other  recommendations,  for  various  reasons,  including  lack 
of  funds,  may  not  appear  possible  at  this  time.  These  are  matters  about 
which  no  one  except  the  president  of  the  college  and  the  governing  board 
1  may  with  propriety  advise.  Therefore,  I  shall  endeavor  to  outline  in 
J  this  report  a  logical  and,  I  believe,  workable  administrative  organization, 
r  having  in  mind  the  financial  limitations  of  the  college  for  the  next  two 
is  years.  Indeed,  I  am  convinced  that  the  adoption  of  the  recommenda- 
^  tions  in  this  report  or  others  of  similar  character  will  add  greatly  to  the 

h 

' 


4 


effectiveness  of  the  college  in  performing  the  several  lines  of  service 
which  may  reasonably  be  expected  of  it  by  the  people  of  the  State. 

Preliminary  to  outlining  this  report,  I  spent  a  week  in  North  Caro¬ 
lina,  conferring  for  the  most  part  with  the  president  and  various  officials 
and  members  of  the  faculty  at  the  college.  Uniformly,  I  found  them 
willing  and  anxious  to  supply  all  the  information  possible  in  order  to 
assist  in  solving  the  problems  which  the  survey  presented.  I  wish,  there¬ 
fore,  to  acknowledge  to  all  these  people  my  most  cordial  appreciation  for 
the  assistance  which  they  have  rendered,  and  for  the  very  cooperative 
spirit  which  they  showed  upon  all  occasions. 

THE  COLLEGE  AND  THE  STATE 

It  would  be  quite  unscientific,  and  certainly  very  unwise  for  me,  after 
so  brief  a  study  of  the  college,  to  offer  any  dogmatic  or  final  observations 
concerning  the  degree  of  success  which  has  been  attained  by  the  college 
as  a  part  of  the  State’s  system  of  higher  education.  It  is  seldom  that  a 
State  is  not  amply  repaid  for  its  appropriations  through  the  unremit¬ 
ting  and  unselfish  service  of  the  officials  and  faculty  at  its  State  institu¬ 
tions  of  higher  education.  At  the  North  Carolina  State  College  there  is 
every  indication  of  the  same  unselfish  spirit  of  service  on  the  part  of 
officials  and  faculty  which  should  characterize  the  teaching  profession 
everywhere.  At  the  same  time  it  is  impossible  to  escape  the  feeling  that, 
perhaps  through  no  fault  of  the  personnel  at  the  college,  the  institution 
is  not  performing  as  extensive  a  service  for  the  State  as  it  should,  and 
consequently  that  it  does  not  have  as  compelling  a  grip  on  the  people  of 
the  State  as  would  be  desirable.  The  likelihood  that  the  service  of  the 
institution  can  be  extended  much  more  widely  and  to  a  much  larger  body 
of  citizens  in  the  near  future  adds  interest  and  zest  to  the  problem  of 
providing  an  administrative  organization  which  can  more  adequately 
meet  these  obligations  than  has  been  possible  in  the  past. 

THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

I  understand  that,  by  a  recent  action  of  the  State  Legislature,  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  college  was  increased  to  sixty.  It  is  assumed 
that  this  action  was  taken  primarily  to  provide  a  larger  group  of  people 
who  might  help  to  interpret  public  opinion  in  the  State  to  the  college, 
and  in  turn  also  make  known  to  the  people  the  financial  needs  of  the 
college,  in  order  that  it  might  secure  the  necessary  appropriations  to 
fulfill  its  educational  obligations  most  satisfactorily.  As  a  board  to 
consider  and  formulate  the  many  policies  and  larger  questions  of  admin¬ 
istration  at  the  college,  so  large  a  group  would  be  unwise.  I  assume, 
therefore,  that  the  leadership,  initiative  and  conduct  of  the  institution 
will  always  be  left  to  a  small  group  of  the  trustees,  as  for  example  the 
present  executive  committee.  Experience  everywhere,  both  in  privately 
controlled  and  State  institutions  of  higher  education,  has  demonstrated 
the  wisdom  and  necessitv  of  small  boards  as  governing  bodies  for  higher 
institutions. 


THE  RELATION  OF  RESIDENT  TEACHING,  RESEARCH,  AND 

EXTENSION  WORK 

In  general,  it  seems  clear  that  the  administrative  organization  of  the 
college  has  followed  the  natural  course  of  growing  up  with  the  institu¬ 
tion.  In  recent  years,  however,  there  has  been  a  considerable  increase 
in  the  student  body  and  faculty.  As  a  result,  the  present  organization 
has  become  inadequate  for  the  purposes  of  internal  administration  of 
an  institution  which,  it  should  be  realized,  is  fast  approaching  the  size 
and  diversity  of  interests  of  a  university  in  all  but  name.  The  growing- 
routine  administrative  work  which  has  accompanied  the  increase  in 
student  body  and  faculty  has  largely  been  assigned  to  members  of  the 
faculty  and  faculty  committees,  with  the  result  that  the  administrative 
officials  and  heads  of  departments  have  had  quite  inadequate  time  and 
opportunity  to  consider  internal  policies  at  the  college,  and  especially  it 
has  so  far  proved  impossible  for  them  to  do  more  than  a  minimum  of 
work  in  the  State,  other  than  resident  teaching. 

To  be  specific,  it  is  now  generally  agreed  and  almost  the  universal 
practice  at  State  institutions  of  higher  learning,  particularly  the  land- 
grant  colleges,  that  the  work  of  the  institution  should  be  first  and  fore¬ 
most  resident  teaching,  but  that  extension  work  and  research  should  be 
conducted  simultaneously  and  under  the  same  administration  as  the 
resident  teaching.  This  arrangement  is  so  generally  accepted  now  that 
any  argument  in  favor  of  it  would  normally  be  unnecessary  and  super¬ 
fluous.  .  However,  in  this  instance,  on  account  of  a  different  practice,  it 
may  be  well  to  point  out  a  few  salient  features  in  the  situation. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  in  1913  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Caro¬ 
lina  authorized  the  appointment  of  a  “ Joint  Committee  for  Agricultural 
Work,”  composed  of  four  members  each  from  the  board  of  agriculture 
and  the  trustees  of  the  State  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engineering, 
together  with  the  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  and  the  president  of  the 
college  as  ex-officio  members  of  the  committee.  This  joint  committee 
was  charged  with  the  duty  of  “preventing  duplication  and  friction  and 
increasing  efficiency  in  agricultural  work  in  the  State,’  and  was  author¬ 
ized  to  supervise  and  control  “such  agricultural  work  of  the  same  kind 
or  kinds  as  both  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  the  State  and  the 
North  Carolina  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  are  conduct¬ 
ing  or  may  conduct  under  authority  of  law,  together  with  any  work 
which  either  of  these  institutions  may  agree  to  place  under  the  joint 
committee,  and  especially  shall  this  joint  committee  have  supervision 
and  control  of  all  experimental  and  investigational  work  in  agriculture 

in  the  State.” 

“The  joint  committee  shall  use  such  funds  as  may  be  designated  by 
law  or  which  may  be  placed  at  its  disposal  by  each  of  the  two  boards  or 
by  any  benefactions  in  the  conduct  of  the  work  outlined  in  section  three 
of  this  report.  It  shall  determine  and  employ  such  workers  as  may  be 
necessarv  for  the  conduct  of  the  work,  and  regulate  then  salaiies  and 

1 7 


6 


duties.  All  actions  of  the  joint  committee  shall  be  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
North  Carolina  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts.” 

The  arrangement  entered  into  in  1913  has  been  very  beneficial,  in  that 
all  or  practically  all  danger  of  duplication  of  agricultural  experiment 
station  work  has  apparently  been  removed,  and  the  same  may  be  said 
concerning  agricultural  extension  activities.  There  are,  however,  certain 
other  observations  on  the  arrangement  which  deserve  serious  considera¬ 
tion:  (1)  A  State  institution  can  do  much  better  work,  even  in 
resident  teaching,  if  extension  and  research  are  carried  on  in  conjunc¬ 
tion  with  it.  (2)  Centralization  of  the  State’s  educational  efforts  under 
a  single  administration  is  the  most  effective  and  economical  manner  of 
conducting  all  three  activities,  resident  teaching,  extension,  and  research. 

In  all  higher  institutions  it  has  now  become  axiomatic  that  a  teacher, 
to  be  most  effective,  must  have  some  time  and  opportunity  continually 
to  increase  in  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  his  subject.  Reading  and 
study  afford  a  large  part  of  this  opportunity,  but  it  is  equally  desirable 
that  the  teacher  have  at  least  some  opportunity  through  research  to  add 
to  his -knowledge  of  his  chosen  subject.  Otlieiuvise,  his  growth  stops  and 
his  enthusiasm  lags.  In  the  land-grant  colleges,  fortunately,  through 
annual  Federal  subsidies,  a  great  program  of  agricultural  research  has 
been  proceeding  for  a  number  of  years.  The  opportunity  of  the  teachers 
of  agriculture  to  participate  in  and  associate  closely  with  those  who  have 
carried  on  this  work  has  literally  created  the  several  applied  sciences  in 
agriculture  during  the  last  thirty  years.  Any  unnatural  barrier  which 
is  erected  between  research  in  agriculture  and  the  teaching  of  agricul¬ 
ture  is  like  cutting  off  a  stream  from  its  source  and  expecting  it  to  con¬ 
tinue  to  flow.  The  experiment  station  is  the  fountain  of  agricultural 
knowledge,  and  the  college  the  channel  through  which  it  flows  to  students 
at  the  institution.  Each  is  necessary  to  the  other.  The  college  teachers 
cannot  perform  their  tasks  efficiently  unless  they  have  the  latest  informa¬ 
tion  in  the  rapidly  growing  and  expanding  body  of  agricultural  knowl¬ 
edge,  and  the  results  attained  by  the  experiment  stations  are  of  little 
value  unless  they  are  available  for  the  use  of  those  who  are  expected  to 
pass  them  on  to  students  and  farmers. 

Turning  now  to  what  may  appear  to  be  the  more  practical  side  of  the 
matter.  It  is  apparent  at  once  that  the  separation  of  the  resident  teach¬ 
ing  in  agriculture  from  research  is  wasteful  and  uneconomical.  To  be 
sure,  equipment,  apparatus,  teaching  personnel,  and  animals  are  not 
interchangeable  at  will  for  teaching  and  research  purposes,  but  they  are 
available  for  the  use  of  both  in  various  degrees,  depending  on  circum¬ 
stances.  Whatever  unnecessary  duplication  in  equipment,  buildings, 
and  animals  are  resorted  to  on  account'  of  lack  of  centralization  of 
administration  is  wasteful  and  unjustifiable. 

If  anything  more  is  needed  by  way  of  calling  attention  to  the  unwis¬ 
dom  of  the  present  arrangement,  it  would  be  to  point  out  the  fact  that 


it  would  be  just  as  logical  to  erect  the  engineering  experiment  station 
apart  from  the  engineering  school  of  the  college.  Indeed,  there  is  much 
research  work  of  engineering  character  which  is  even  now  being  carried 
on  by  other  State  organizations.  The  multiplication  of  these  research 
agencies  with  the  consequent  duplication  of  laboratories  and  equipment, 
and  the  deadening  effect  it  has  on  the  resident  teaching  work  at  the  col¬ 
lege,  can  hardly  commend  itself  to  anyone  acquainted  with  the  facts. 
The  separation  of  the  administration  of  the  agricultural  experiment 
station  and  the  college  cannot,  in  the  opinion  of  any  save  possibly  a 
very  small  minority  of  persons  here  and  there,  be  justified  on  the 
grounds  of  efficiency  or  economy,  or,  indeed,  any  other  fundamental 
reason. 

A  similar  unsatisfactory  situation  exists  with  respect  to  the  extension 
work  in  agriculture.  The  college  teachers  need  to  keep  in  close  contact, 
not  only  with  the  sources  of  knowledge  concerning  agriculture,  but  also 
with  the  great  body  of  farmers  who  are  the  ultimate  consumers  of  this 
knowledge.  Unless  there  is  the  closest  cooperation  between  the  resident 
teachers  and  the  rural  population,  it  is  practically  impossible  for  the 
teachers  to  appreciate  adequately  the  needs  and  problems  of  the  farm, 
and  it  is  .  just  as  difficult  to  establish  lines  of  contact  which  will  bring 
agricultural  information  to  the  farmers  in  the  most  effective  manner. 

For  these  reasons,  and  many  others,  there  are  no  other  States  where 
the  extension  service  in  agriculture  is  as  completely  severed  from  the 
college  of  agriculture  as  in  Yorth  Carolina.  In  only  one  other  State, 
namely,  Ohio,  is  the  administration  of  the  experiment  station  not 
entirely  under  the  control  of  the  agricultural  college.  In  three  other 
States,  namely,  Few  York,  Georgia,  and  Connecticut,  there  are  State 
experiment  stations  in  addition  to  the  ones  conducted  in  conjunction 
with  the  State  college  of  agriculture,  but  they  are  a  vanishing  race  and 
will  likely  disappear  completely  very  soon.  The  college,  the  experiment 
station,  and  the  extension  activities,  in  the  opinion  of  the  college  admin¬ 
istrators  as  represented  in  the  Land-Grant  College  Association,  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  and  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  Washing¬ 
ton,  should  be  combined  in  a  single  administration,  not  for  the  advan¬ 
tage  of  any  of  the  three,  but  because  it  is  the  most  effective  and  economi¬ 
cal  method  of  performing  all  three  functions. 

THE  RESIDENT  TEACHING  FUNCTION  OF  THE  COLLEGE 

The  divisions  of  a  university  or  college  depend  in  considerable  part 
on  the  major  functions  of  the  college.  In  the  present  case  the  institu¬ 
tion  was  founded  in  response  to  the  stimulus  of  the  Federal  act  of  1862, 
known  as  the  Morrill  Act.  For  this  reason,  it  is  assumed  that  agricul¬ 
ture  and  engineering  were  and  will  remain  two  of  the  main  functions  of 
the  college.  There  is  nothing  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  however,  why 
the  several  States  accepting  the  provisions  of  the  Morrill  Act  may  not, 
as  circumstances  demand,  also  establish  other  functions  of  equal  impor- 


8 


tance  at  the  so-called  land-grant  colleges,  and  during  the  sixty  years 
since  the  passage  of  the  Morrill  Act  all,  with  perhaps  one  exception, 
have  done  so. 

In  addition  to  agriculture  and  engineering,  there  are  at  least  four 
fields  of  work  closely  related  to  agriculture  and  engineering,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  to  recent  economic,  industrial,  and  educational  progress  in 
the  State  on  the  other,  which  deserve  serious  consideration  as  major 
lines  of  service  of  possibly  equal  importance  with  agriculture  and  engi¬ 
neering:  (1)  general  science;  (2)  rural  economics  and  business  admin¬ 
istration;  (3)  textile  engineering  and  manufactures;  (4)  teacher  train¬ 
ing. 

The  basic  physical  and  biological  sciences  deserve  to  be  encouraged 
and  promoted  at  the  college,  not  only  for  their  actual  values,  but  because 
the  progress  which  can  be  attained  in  the  applied  sciences  depends  in  the 
future,  as  in  the  past,  on  the  development  of  the  basic  sciences  which 
underlie  them.  In  this  way  they  are  a  very  important  factor  in  deter¬ 
mining  the  degree  of  success  which  can  be  attained  in  the  applied- 
science  curricula. 

The  State  of  North  Carolina  has  recently  been  engaging  in  a  great 
forward  movement  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  teachers  in  the  ele¬ 
mentary  and  secondary  schools.  All  the  higher  institutions  are  being 
called  upon  to  contribute  their  utmost  toward  helping  the  State  to 
accomplish  this  great  task.  There  is  every  reason  to  assume  that  the 
North  Carolina  College  of  Agriculture  and  Engineering  should  not  only 
train  the  teachers  of  agriculture  in  the  secondary  schools,  but  also  that 
it  should  make  provision  for  supplying  teachers  of  manual  arts  and 
industries,  together  with  a  considerable  number  of  science  teachers.  The 
number  of  teachers  needed  in  these  fields  will  doubtless  increase  con¬ 
siderably  in  the  next  few  years,  and  the  college  should  be  prepared  to  do 
its  part  in  training  them. 

In  establishing  a  new  administrative  organization  at  the  college  it 
may  not  be  expedient  at  this  time  to  recognize  all  six  of  these  fields  of 
higher  education  as  major  divisions  of  the  college.  Eor  example,  it  is 
felt  that,  for  the  present,  textile  engineering  and  manufactures  may  con¬ 
tinue  as  a  part  of  the  engineering  group  of  departments.  Ultimately,  it 
should  probably  become  a  division  on  a  parity  with  the  other  four  which 
have  been  named. 

It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  four  major  divisions  be  established, 
as  follows:  (1)  agriculture;  (2)  engineering;  (3)  general  science; 
(4)  social  science  and  business  administration.  In  charge  of  each  one 
of  these  divisions  there  should  be  a  dean,  responsible  to  the  president  for 
the  administration  of  the  division.  Each  division  should  consist  of  a 
number  of  departments,  with  heads  of  departments  and  such  other  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  faculty  as  are  required. 


9 


SHORT  COURSES 

It  would  not  be  difficult  to  demonstrate  that  there  are  entirely  insuf¬ 
ficient  opportunities  in  America  for  the  graduates  of  high  schools  and 
other  young  people  eighteen  years  of  age  or  over  to  pursue  technical 
courses  of  study  of  less  than  four  years  in  length.  Somehow  we  have 
developed  the  tradition  that  all  or  practically  all  liigh-school  graduates 
who  continue  their  education  should  do  so  in  four-year  courses  of  study 
in  the  typical  college  or  university.  One  of  the  most  serious  weaknesses 
of  the  American  system  of  education  is  that  we  have  not  so  far  found  a 
way  of  developing  on  an  extensive  scale  technical  courses  of  one,  two, 
and  three  years  duration.  Undoubtedly,  very  serious  efforts  should  be 
exerted  in  that  direction  in  every  State  in  the  Union. 

The  State  universities  and  colleges  may  not  really  be  the  best  places 
to  develop  this  type  of  education,  but  at  present  they  are  in  most  States 
the  only  places  where  they  can  be  developed.  Moreover,  at  these  insti¬ 
tutions,  including  this  college,  there  is  an  extensive  equipment  which 
can  be  used  very  easily  and  profitably  for  short  courses.  It  is  believed 
that  the  college  has  obligations  in  this  field  of  education  which  ought  to 
be  promoted  more  vigorously.  In  this  type  of  work,  however,  the  same 
as  with  the  four-year  curricula,  satisfactory  results  may  not  be  expected 
unless  it  is  actively  and  enthusiastically  promoted  by  one  or  more  per¬ 
sons  who  devote  the  major  portion  of  their  time  to  it..  For  this  reason, 
it  is  suggested  that  a  vice-director  of  short  courses  in  agriculture  and 
another  in  mechanic  arts  be  appointed,  and  that  they  be  charged  with 
the  promotion  and  development  of  the  short  courses  in  these  divisions. 
So  far  as  possible,  this  should  be  done  in  cooperation  with  the  existing 
faculty  and  through  the  use  of  the  present  equipment,  but  wherever 
necessary  and  desirable  there  should  be  no  hesitation  in  adding  full¬ 
time  instructors  for  this  type  of  work  and  increasing  the  equipment. 

If  these  short  courses  are  conducted  vigorously  it  is  believed  that  a 
number  of  students  now  registering  in  the  four-year  courses,  but  who 
for  a  variety  of  reasons  do  not  continue  their  work  to  graduation,  would 
welcome  the  opportunity  to  finish  a  short  course  preparatory  to  posi¬ 
tions  on  the  semi-professional  level. 

Another  type  of  short  courses  which  has  been  given  very  successfully 
at  the  college  is  the  summer  school.  The  unusual  demand  for  better 
teacher  preparation  in  North  Carolina  during  the  last  few  years  has 
been  responded  to  admirably  by  the  organization  of  a  summer  school. 
This  work  links  up  with  one  of  the  growing  major  activities  of  the 
institution,  namely,  the  preparation  of  teachers. 

As  a  matter  of  practical  administration  the  courses  which  are  given 
in  the  summer  school  should  all  be  classified  as  subjects  for  college 
credit,  for  credit  toward  teachers’  certificates,  for  credit  as  high  school 
units,  etc.  All  such  courses  should  be  worked  out  in  cooperation  with 
the  heads  of  departments  at  the  college. 


:o 


GENERAL  EXTENSION' 

One  oi*  the  indications  that  the  college  has  not  so  far  reached  out  into 
r]ie  State  is  the  fact  that  so  far  no  general  extension  and  correspondence 
courses  have  been  developed.  The  institution  has  an  obligation  to  pro¬ 
mote  this  vrork  so  far  as  it  oossibly  can.  even  though  tnere  is  as  yet  no 
appropriation  comparable  in  size  to  tne  money  oeing  sp*ent  for  agri- 
cultural  extension  vrork.  Tne  a!  vantages  of  this  general  extension  work 
are  obvious  to  the  State  and  the  institution.  From  the  point  of  view 
of  the  college  it  is  one  of  the  many  ways  through  which  the  college  can 
gain  a  direcv  contact  with  the  practical  needs  of  the  State.  Especially 
is  this  true  in  the  field  of  engineering  and  mechanic  arts. 

So  far  as  possible  ail  extension  work  should  be  co-ordinated.  For 
this  reason,  although  it  may  not  be  a  logical  arrangement,  it  is  suggested 
that  a  vice-director  for  general  extension  work  be  appointed  and  that 
he  and  those  who  are  associated  with  him  for  the  development  of  this 
work  be  under  the  general  supervision  of  the  director  of  extension. 

GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION 

For  'he  general  administration  of  the  college  it  is  recommended  that 
there  be  formed  an  advisory  council  to  the  president  to  consider  and 
advise  on  two  types  of  problems,  1  >  general  matters  of  policy  relating 
to  the  activities  and  functions  of  the  college:  2  i  routine  administrative 

C  7  \  / 

affairs  on  which  the  president  wishes  advice  before  taking  action.  Such 
a  council  will  probably  make  unnecessary  so  frequent  meetings  of  the 
faculty  as  at  present.  The  advisory  council  should  be  composed  of  the 
dean  of  the  college,  the  deans  of  the  four  major  divisions  and  perhaps 
one  other  selected  by  the  president  from  a  list  of  three  persons  nomi¬ 
nated  by  the  general  faculty. 

The  general  faculty  should  be  expanded  so  as  to  include  all  associate 
and  assistant  professors.  Its  chief  function  should  be  to  legislate  on 
matters  relating  to  entrance  requirements  and  methods  of  admission, 
requirements  for  degrees  and  certificates,  curricula,  questions  of  scholar¬ 
ship  and  attendance,  prizes,  honors,  and  student  activities,  etc. 

THE  DEAN  OF  THE  COLLEGE 

The  chief  duty  of  the  dean  of  the  college  is  to  deal  with  student  rela¬ 
tions.  Reports  of  all  absences  from  class  should  be  sent  to  his  office  as 
well  as  all  reports  concerning  deficiencies  in  class  standing.  The  dean 
should  also  advise  with  all  officials  of  student  organizations  and  super¬ 
vise  the  matter  of  chapel  attendance.  If  possible  some  attempt  should 
be  made  to  institute  some  vocational  guidance  work  in  conjunction  with 
this  office. 

This  arrangement  involves  the  abolition  of  the  office  of  dean  of  stu¬ 
dents  and  the  transfer  of  all  its  functions  to  the  office  of  the  dean  of 
the  college.  On  the  other  hand,  the  evaluation  of  records  presented  by 


11 


entering  students  from  high,  schools  and  other  higher  institutions  would 
be  transferred  to  the  registrar’s  office  to  be  performed  by  him  or  an 
exammei .  Clearly  this  duty  will  shortly  become  too  onerous  for  any 
one  who  wishes  to  continue  his  teaching  functions  on  a  full-time  basis. 
At  the  same  time  it  appears  that  all  the  duties  now  performed  by  the 
vice-president  of  the  college  could  he  transferred  without  loss  and  with 
some  gain  to  the  dean  of  the  college.  It  is  believed  that  all  the  func¬ 
tions  of  the  vice-president  can  he  performed  more  easily  and  expedi¬ 
tiously  in  the  enlarged  dean’s  office. 

The  duties  of  the  dean  of  the  college  will  require  the  full  time  of  a 


very  competent  man.  Furthermore  he  should  have  adequate  clerical 
assistance  to  perform  his  duties  satisfactorily. 


THE  REGISTRAR 

The  registrar’s  office  should  contain  the  official  scholastic  records  of 
students,  including  entrance  certificates,  courses  being  pursued,  grades, 
withdrawals  from  class,  and  graduation  records.  Also,  the  records  of 
the  meetings  of  the  general  faculty  and  reports  of  faculty  committees 
should  he  on  file  in  the  registrar’s  office.  Xormally  the  registrar  should 
he  secretary  of  the  general  faculty. 

The  registrar  should  also  evaluate  all  high  school  entrance  certifi¬ 
cates,  referring  all  doubtful  cases  to  a  faculty  committee,  and  working 
out  a  system  of  evaluating  the  work  of  students  transferring  from  other 
colleges,  with  the  departments  concerned  in  each  such  transfer.  If  the 
registrar  himself  does  not  have  time  for  this  work,  there  should  he 
appointed  an  examiner  who  can  devote  a  portion  of  his  time  to  this 
work. 

The  present  arrangement  of  having  the  registrar  supervise  the  work 
of  the  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  appears  to  he  entirely 
illogical,  and  it  is  assumed  that  with  the  appointment  of  a  trained  and 
experienced  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  the  continuation 
of  this  device  will  be  unnecessary. 


THE  BUSINESS  OFFICE 

The  business  office  should  be  charged  with  checking  up  all  depart¬ 
ments  and  officers  of  the  college  to  see  that  they  do  not  exceed  without 
proper  authorization  the  amounts  of  money  set  aside  for  their  use  in 
purchasing  supplies  and  materials.  For  this  purpose  all  requisitions 
for  these  supplies  and  materials  should  be  countersigned  by  the  business 
officer. 

The  business  office  is  also  the  natural  repository  for  all  academic  fees, 
dormitory  rentals  and  charges  for  board  which  are  paid  by  students  at 
the  college. 

It  is  also  suggested  that  it  would  be  economy  of  time  and  money  to 
employ  a  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  who  has  sufficient 
training  and  experience  to  supervise  the  heating  and  power  plants,  the 


12 


electric  lighting  system,  and  the  construction  of  roads  and  sidewalks, 
but  not  the  landscaping  of  the  campus.  An  official  with  this  training 
and  experience  should  be  able  with  sufficient  assistance  to  supervise 
these  various  activities  much  more  satisfactorily  than  is  possible  under 
the  present  loose  arrangements.  Of  more  importance,  however,  is  the 
fact  that  certain  heads  of  departments  would  thus  be  relieved  of  duties 
which  prevent  them  from  concentrating  their  attention  on  the  problem 
of  building  up  the  engineering  activities  of  the  college  and  increasing 
the  teaching  efficiency  of  their  departments  which,  it  should  be  remem¬ 
bered,  is  the  thing  for  which  they  are  employed.  When  these  facts  are 
taken  into  consideration  it  is  doubtful  if  the  employment  of  a  trained 
superintendent  would  involve  any  greater  expense  than  at  present.  How¬ 
ever,  if  it  did,  it  would  be  money  well  spent. 

THE  LIBRARY 

The  library  arrangements  at  present  are  among  the  weakest  fea¬ 
tures  of  the  college.  The  library  room  appears  to  be  pleasant  and  the 
books  well  selected,  but  they  are  totally  inadequate  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  institution.  The  college  is  to  be  congratulated  that  a  new  library 
building  is  about  to  be  erected.  As  soon  as  it  is  constructed  arrange¬ 
ments  should  be  made  to  increase  the  number  of  books  very  greatly  in 
order  that  the  library  may  be  made  of  the  greatest  possible  service  to 
the  faculty  and  students.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the  library  staff 
should  be  equal  in  training  and  number  to  the  requirements  of  the 
enlarged  library. 

In  this  connection  great  care  should  be  exercised  to  avoid  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  departmental  libraries  'which  require  the  purchase  of  duplicate 
copies  of  books  and  the  service  of  special  attendants.  If  the  new  library 
building  is  constructed  near  the  center  of  the  present  campus  it  ought 
to  make  departmental  libraries  practically  unnecessary. 

THE  HEALTH  OF  STUDENTS 

The  college  is  to  be  congratulated  on  the  establishment  of  a  hospital 
to  take  care  of  students  who  become  ill.  It  is  suggested,  however,  that 
much  remains  to  be  done  in  order  to  develop  students  physically.  A 
gymnasium  with  adequate  instruction  in  physical  education  is  needed 
very  greatly.  At  present  the  college  is  doing  very  little  for  the  physical 
development  of  the  student-body.  Among  other  things,  arrangements 
should  be  made  to  give  all  students  a  physical  examination  at  least  once 
each  year.  Those  who  are  concerned  with  the  care  of  the  health  of 
students  are  now  laying  great  stress  on  preventive  measures.  As  ^ 
means  to  this  end  there  should  be  established  a  department  of  physical 
education  which  should  develop  athletic  exercise  for  the  entire  student- 
body.  As  a  means  of  co-ordinating  the  work  of  coaches  of  athletic 
teams  with  the  larger  work  of  physical  education  for  all  the  student- 


body,  it  lias  been  found  desirable  at  many  institutions  to  make  all 
coaches  members  of  the  department  of  physical  education  and  of  the 
general  faculty. 

DIVISIONS  AND  DEPARTMENTS 

It  is  suggested  that  the  several  divisions  be  composed  of  departments 
as  follows : 

(1)  Agriculture: 

a.  Animal  husbandry  including  dairying  and  veterinary  science. 

b.  Soils. 

c.  Farm  crops. 

d.  Poultry  science. 

e.  Horticulture. 

f.  Agricultural  engineering. 

g.  Botany. 

h.  Zoology. 

i.  Vice-director  of  short  courses. 

(2)  Engineering: 

a.  Civil  engineering  including  highway  engineering. 

b.  Electrical  engineering. 

c.  Mechanical  engineering  including  the  machine  shop,  wood  shop, 

the  foundry,  the  vegetable  oil  mill. 

d.  Architectural  engineering  including  mechanical  drawing  and  de¬ 

scriptive  geometry. 

e.  Textile  engineering  and  manufactures  including  carding  and  spin¬ 

ning,  weaving,  and  design  and  dyeing. 

f.  Vice-director  of  short  courses. 

(3)  Division  of  General  Science: 

a.  Chemistry  including  the  fundamental  courses  and  agricultural 

chemistry. 

b.  Physics  including  mechanics. 

c.  Mathematics. 

d.  English. 

e.  Modern  foreign  languages. 

(4)  Division  of  Social  Sciences  and  Business  Administration: 

a.  History  and  political  science. 

b.  Economics,  commerce,  and  business. 

c.  Rural  economics  and  sociology. 

d.  Engineering  and  industrial  administration. 

e.  Vocational  education. 

DUTIES  OF  THE  DEANS 

The  duties  of  the  deans  of  the  several  divisions  under  the  scheme  of 
organization  which  has  been  suggested  would  be  in  part  to  carry  out 
certain  administrative  functions  and  in  part  to  lead  in  the  promotion 
of  the  work  of  their  respective  divisions  in  the  college  and  throughout 

the  State. 

It  is  suggested,  for  example,  that  each  dean’s  office  be  charged  with 
the  supervision  of  the  registration  of  students  who  are  pursuing  cui- 


14 


ricula  in  the  respective  divisions.  Such  supervision  will  insure  the  fact 
that  students  follow  their  prescribed  courses  and  take  their  prerequisite 
subjects. 

The  deans  should  preside  over  their  respective  faculties,  which  should 
include  all  ranks  of  the  teaching  force  from  instructors  upward.  All 
curricula  and  changes  in  curricula  should  be  initiated  in  the  divisional 
faculties  before  they  are  passed  on  to  the  general  faculty  for  approval. 

If  it  is  deemed  advisable  an  executive  committee  composed  of  the 
dean  and  the  heads  of  departments  may  be  formed  to  pass  on  routine 
matters  and  to  consider  matters  of  policy  relating  to  the  work  of  the 
school. 

The  deans  should  also  arrange  the  teaching  staff  of  the  divisions  so 
as  to  avoid  duplication  of  instruction  in  the  same  subject.  Many  other 
interdepartmental  matters  can  he  co-ordinated  through  the  dean’s  office. 
Deans  and  heads  of  departments  should  jointly  recommend  to  the  presi¬ 
dent  and  the  board  of  trustees  new  appointments  of  faculty  members 
in  the  several  departments  and  all  promotions  and  increases  in  salaries. 

In  so  far  as  possible  the  dean  of  each  division  should  devote  his  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  solution  of  the  larger  problems  of  his  division  and  to  devising 
ways  and  means  of  promoting  the  effectiveness  of  the  instruction  and 
of  making  the  division  more  serviceable  to  the  State  at  large.  For  this 
purpose  the  dean  as  well  as  the  heads  of  the  several  departments  in  the 
divisions  should  consult  leaders  in  agriculture,  engineering,  business 
and  industry  frequently  in  order  that  they  may  continually  keep  the 
instruction  at  the  college  abreast  of  the  needs  of  the  State. 

ADJUSTMENTS  IN  THE  SEVERAL  DIVISIONS 

1.  Agriculture 

If  the  proposed  union  of  the  extension  work,  the  experiment  station 
work,  and  the  resident  teaching  under  the  complete  administration  of 
the  college  can  he  effected  it  is  suggested  that  the  dean  of  the  division 
of  agriculture  he  responsible  for  the  agricultural  experiment  station 
and  the  extension  service,  but  that  the  experiment  station  and  the  exten¬ 
sion  service  be  immediately  in  charge  of  directors  who  shall  be  respon¬ 
sible  to  the  dean  and  through  him  to  the  president  for  the  successful 
promotion  and  administration  of  their  divisions.  It  is  also  suggested 
that  conferences  of  the  resident  teachers,  the  experiment  station  men, 
and  the  extension  staff  in  each  department  be  held  periodically  under 
the  chairmanship  of  the  head  of  the  resident  teaching  department.  At 
these  conferences  matters  relating  to  the  development  of  the  particular 
field  of  agricultural  education,  methods  of  cooperation  and  plans  for 
promoting  the  work  can  be  discussed  and  formulated. 

In  the  accompanying  proposed  plan  of  organization  the  biological 
science  departments  are  left  in  the  agricultural  school  because  it  is 
assumed  that  it  will  be  possible  for  them  to  develop  their  work  as  basic 


15 


sciences  freely  while  at  the  same  time  benefiting  from  the  association 

with  the  applied  science  departments,  which  in  considerable  part  they 
serve. 

2.  Engineering 

Adjustments  in  the  engineering  school  should  be  made  for  the  purpose 
of  enabling  the  faculties,  particularly  the  heads  of  departments,  to 
devote  more  attention  to  organizing  instruction  effectively  and  to  the 
considei  ation  of  ways  and  means  for  extending  the  activities  and  influ¬ 
ence  of  the  engineering  school. 

ith  this  purpose  in  mind  it  is  suggested  that  architectural  engineer¬ 
ing  be  made  a  separate  department  and  that  to  this  department  for  the 
present  there  be  attached  the  work  in  mechanical  drawing  and  descrip¬ 
tive  geometry. 

l  ^  en  recommended,  the  responsibility  for  supervising 
the  power  plant,  the  heating  plant,  the  purchase  of  coal,  the  electric 
wiring  system,  and  the  construction  of  water  and  heating  lines  should 
be  transferred  to  a  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  who  has 
sufficient  training  and  experience  to  carry  on  all  these  activities  suc- 
cessfullv. 

»  *y 

It  is  also  suggested  in  the  interest  of  efficiency  that  there  be  appointed 
a  superintendent  of  shops,  to  have  direct  charge,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  department  of  mechanical  engineering,  of  the  forge  work,  the 
foundry,  the  wood  shoji  and  the  machine  shop.  Also  as  soon  as  the 
vegetable  oil  work  is  begun  there  should  be  a  superintendent,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  same  department,  who  is  capable  of  directing  the 
w'ork. 

In  order  to  prevent  unnecessary  and  wasteful  duplication  of  instruc¬ 
tion  in  certain  engineering  subjects  in  more  than  one  department,  it  is 
suggested  that  arrangements  be  made  to  transfer  instruction  in  strength 
of  materials  and  hydraulics  to  the  civil  engineering  department ; 
mechanical  drawing  and  descriptive  geometry  to  the  new  department  of 
architectural  engineering;  and  mechanics  to  the  physics  department. 

Finally,  the  engineering  experiment  station,  which  was  organized  a 
short  time  ago,  should  be  given  a  definite  appropriation.  FTorth  Caro¬ 
lina  has  recently  become  a  great  industrial  State.  Its  future  progress 
along  these  lines  depends  not  only  on  the  organization  of  industry  under 
trained  men,  but  also  on  the  new  and  more  economical  processes  of  pro¬ 
duction  and  distribution  which  are  introduced  from  time  to  time.  In 
order  to  accomplish  these  purposes  most  satisfactorily  it  is  necessary 
that  the  engineering  division  of  the  college  address  itself  continually 
to  a  variety -of  research  jtroblems  the  solution  of  which  is  of  consequence 
to  the  State.  A  number  of  experiments  in  road-building  materials,  for 
example,  and  other  research  problems  which  the  officials  of  the  State 
government  need  to  have  solved  from  time  to  time  could  be  done  eco¬ 
nomically  and  acceptably  under  the  supervision  of  the  engineering 


16 


experiment  station.  This  is  another  very  important  channel  through 
which  the  college  can  more  effectively  serve  the  State  and  extend  and 
deepen  its  influence  with  the  people. 

OTHER  OBSERVATIONS 

The  number  of  credit  and  class  hours  required  of  students  at  the 
college  is  entirely  too  large.  There  is  every  indication  that  courses  have 
been  inserted  in  the  curricula  to  meet  the  demands  of  particular  depart¬ 
ments  and  with  too  little  thought  of  a  well-balanced  program.  Such  a 
condition  is  the  natural  result  of  lack  of  direction  and  co-ordination 
from  some  responsible  head  within  the  division  or  school.  It  is  believed 
that  the  appointment  of  responsible  persons  as  deans  of  the  several 
schools  will  afford  a  means  of  revising  the  several  curricula  with  the 
object  of  reducing  the  number  of  semester  hours  required  for  gradua¬ 
tion.  Such  a  change  will  enable  the  institution  to  conform  more  closely 
to  the  present  practice  of  other  technological  schools  and  give  the  stu¬ 
dents  more  of  an  opportunity  to  use  the  library  and  prepare  for  their 
work. 

The  teaching  hours  of  the  faculty,  particularly  the  heads  of  depart¬ 
ments,  are  in  a  number  of  instances  too  large.  When  it  is  recalled  that 
a  number  of  these  department  heads  have  also  been  carrying  consider¬ 
able  administrative  duties  not  related  to  the  work  of  their  departments, 
wholly  inadequate  time  remains  for  developing  the  work  of  the  depart¬ 
ment  and  the  school.  Reduction  in  the  number  of  teaching  hours  for 
heads  of  departments  is  one  of  several  suggestions  which  have  been 
made  in  order  to  give  more  opportunity  to  consider  questions  relating 
to  the  development  of  the  department  and  the  school. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  teaching  hours  for  all  ranks  of  the 
faculty  could  be  somewhat  reduced  if  a  thorough  examination  of  the 
number  of  small  classes  were  made.  The  registrar  reports  46  classes 
enrolling  from  one  to  five  students;  60  classes  enrolling  six  to  ten  stu¬ 
dents;  161  enrolling  eleven  to  twenty  students;  105  classes  enrolling 
twenty-one  to  thirty  students;  9  classes  with  thirty-one  to  forty  stu¬ 
dents;  4  classes  enrolling  forty-one  to  fifty  students;  and  one  class 
enrolling  over  sixty  students.  The  proportion  of  small  classes  appears 
to  be  high,  and  it  seems  probable  that  by  the  exercise  of  greater  care 
the  number  could  be  considerably  reduced,  with  a  consequent  reduction 
in  the  number  of  teaching  hours. 

The  salaries  of  the  several  faculty  grades  deserve  serious  considera¬ 
tion.  Information  on  hand  at  the  Bureau  of  Education  shows  that  the 
salaries  of  professors  and  associate  professors  at  the  college  are  no 
higher  than  the  median  average  salaries  for  those  grades  at  other  State 
universities  and  colleges,  including  a  large  number  of  small  institu¬ 
tions.  The  salaries  of  assistant  professors  and  instructors  are  $500  and 
$200  below,  respectively.  Of  even  greater  importance,  however,  is  the 
fact  that  the  maximum  salaries  for  all  the  grades  do  not  compare  favor- 


17 


/ 

ably  with  those  at  other  State  institutions.  For  example,  more  than 
one-half  of  the  State  universities  and  colleges  have  higher  maximum 
salaries  for  full  professors;  46  out  of  59  have  higher  maximum  salaries 
for  associate  professors ;  62  out  of  69  have  higher  maximum  salaries 
for  assistant  professors  and  62  out  of  67  have  higher  maximum  salaries 
for  instructors. 

This  suggestion  presupposes  the  likelihood  that  not  all  salaries  for 
full  professors  would  be  the  same,  as  is  practically  true  at  present.  As 
the  institution  grows  it  will  be  compelled  to  recognize  differences  in  the 
ability  and  usefulness  of  faculty  members.  The  same  observation 
applies  to  the  deans  of  the  several  schools.  There  is  no  reason  to 
assume  that  the  ability  and  usefulness  of  all  of  the  deans  will  be  equal. 
For  this  reason  it  is  highly  desirable  that  the  president  and  the  board 
of  trustees  should  feel  free  to  employ  outstanding  men  in  certain  fields, 
paying  a  sufficient  salary  to  retain  them,  although  the  same  thing  may 
not  prove  possible  or  even  desirable  in  other  fields.  The  conclusion  of 
the  whole  matter  is  that  in  outlining  plans  to  promote  the  work  of  the 
college  vigorously,  men  of  leadership  are  essential,  and  they  cannot  be 
secured  in  colleges  any  more  than  other  lines  of  work  except  for  ade¬ 
quate  compensation.  It  is  believed  that  with  the  present  rate  of  salaries 
it  will  be  impossible  to  attract  and  retain  men  of  the  calibre  that  ought 
to  be  employed  by  the  college.  It  is  suggested,  therefore,  that  if  possible 
the  maximum  salaries  for  the  several  faculty  grades  be  increased.  Such 
an  action  would  not  require  a  general  increase  in  salaries.  In  fact  con¬ 
siderable  care  should  be  exercised  in  promoting  faculty  members  to  the 
higher  salaries,  and  the  administration  of  the  college  should  not  hesi¬ 
tate  to  employ  outside  men  if  thereby  the  efficiency  of  the  institution 
can  be  increased.  Inbreeding  of  the  faculty  is  a  danger  against  which 
every  higher  institution  has  to  be  on  its  guard  continually. 

In  this  connection  it  seems  pertinent  to  point  out  that  just  as  the 
quality  and  ability  of  the  executives  determine  in  large  part  the  degree 
to  which  the  college  will  lay  hold  on  the  State,  so  does  the  quality  of 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  faculty  determine  in  large  part  the  degree  to 
which  the  college  fulfills  its  mission  in  teaching  students  successfully. 
It  is  very  desirable,  therefore,  that  the  quality  of  the  teaching  personnel 
should  always  be  maintained  on  a  high  level.  To  the  casual  educational 
observer  it  appears  that  the  faculty  of  the  college  is  composed  somewhat 
too  largely  of  instructors,  many  of  whom  have  themselves  not  been  out 
of  college  long.  Particularly  does  it  seem  as  if  a  somewhat  larger  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  faculty  should  be  made  up  of  persons  who  have  had  a 
training  as  extensive  and  intensive  as  that  required  for  the  Ph.I). 
degree. 

Finally,  it  should  be  realized  that  a  college  education  does  not  consist 
entirely  in  preparation  for  some  definite  vocational  or  professional  pur¬ 
suit.  Students  need  to  know  that  they  have  certain  definite  citizenship 


functions  to  perform  and  that  they  should  have  the  ability  and  inclina¬ 
tion  to  appreciate  esthetic  and  cultural  values  which,  after  all,  are  the 
climax  of  a  well-rounded  education.  The  demand  for  intelligent  leaders 
of  public  opinion  to  help  solve  ever-increasing  complex,  economic  and 
social  problems  is  just  as  definite  and  as  important  as  the  demand  for 
specialized  and  technical  training.  The  comfort  and  happiness  of  the 
whole  people  depend  not  only  on  their  increasing  ability  to  satisfy  their 
material  wants  but  upon  their  ability  to  enjoy  good  music,  literature 
and  art  and  other  uplifting  influences.  Therefore,  no  matter  how  re¬ 
stricted  nor  how  specialized  may  he  the  fields  of  educational  service 
which  an  institution  performs,  there  is  an  equal  obligation  to  train  stu¬ 
dents  for  citizenship  and  for  a  fuller  life. 

The  college  is  to  be  congratulated  that  it  has  a  course  in  citizenship 
training.  The  ideal  of  this  course  should  be  to  combine  in  a  single 
unit  all  such  training  in  the  general  social  sciences  as  is  taken  by 
students  in  the  several  curricula.  It  w'ould  appear  that  this  course 
should  he  a  three-liour  course  for  at  least  a  year.  Similar  unified  pro¬ 
vision  should  be  made  for  the  work  of  cultural  nature  primarily.  How¬ 
ever,  it  should  be  recalled  that  much  important  work  of  this  nature  can 
also  he  done  outside  the  classroom,  and  the  recent  decision  of  the  trus¬ 
tees  to  set  aside  a  small  sum  of  money  for  lectures  and  concerts  is  to  he 
commended  highly. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  present  report  has  been  written  around  a  few  major  considera¬ 
tions,  which  can  he  summarized  as  follows : 

(1)  The  college  should  exert  every  possible  effort  to  unite  the  exten¬ 
sion  work  in  agriculture  and  the  agricultural  experiment  station  under 
its  sole  administration.  Every  possible  argument  of  State  economy  as 
well  as  efficiency  in  service  leads  to  this  conclusion.  Until  this  action 
is  consummated  it  will  he  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  the 
college  to  extend  its  influence  throughout  the  State  or  to  gain  that  grip 
on  the  affections  of  the  people  which  it  deserves. 

(2)  The  college  should  establish  an  administrative  system  which  will 
insure  careful  and  speedy  attention  to  administrative  details  and  at  the 
same  time  afford  the  president,  the  deans,  and  the  heads  of  departments 
more  time  for  the  consideration  of  problems  and  policies  relating  to  the 
development  of  the  institution.  The  college  is  going  to  make  its  appeal 
to  the  people  of  the  State  or  fail  to  make  it  by  the  quality  of  educa¬ 
tional  service  it  renders  and  the  degree  to  which  it  seems  to  be  meeting 
the  demands  of  the  State.  For  this  purpose  educational  leadership  at 
the  college  is  not  only  desirable,  it  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  full 
development  of  the  institution.  So  far  as  possible,  therefore,  the  college 
should  place  strong  men  in  the  executive  positions  and,  after  doing  so, 
give  them  ample  opportunity  to  develop  the  work  of  the  institution. 


19 


(3)  The  college  should  select  several  major  objectives  in  addition  to 
agriculture  and  engineering  which  it  will  promote  with  something  like 
the  same  zeal  that  it  promotes  these  two  fields.  So  long  as  the  institu¬ 
tion  is  known  for  only  one  or  two  major  activities  it  will  suffer  a  cer¬ 
tain  lack  of  popular  appreciation.  If  possible  it  should  develop  a 
varied  clientele  which  touches  the  largest  possible  number  of  activities — 
always  keeping  in  mind,  of  course,  the  fields  of  higher  education  which 
properly  belong  to  the  university.  It  is  believed  that  the  field  of  engi¬ 
neering  and  agricultural  administration  is  such  a  field.  Textile  engi¬ 
neering  and  manufactures  is  another.  Perhaps  the  vegetable  oil  mill, 
ceramics,  and  furniture  making  are  lines  of  work  that  may  ultimatelv 
lead  into  extensive  industrial  courses.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  whole 
field  of  chemistry  could  be  more  extensively  developed.  The  beginning 
which  has  been  made  in  agricultural  and  industrial  journalism  could 
probably  be  developed  more  extensively.  The  teacher-training  work 
should  be  emphasized  as  far  as  possible  in  order  that  closer  contact 
may  be  cultivated  with  the  secondary  schools.  The  summer  school  has 
performed  an  excellent  service  and  should  be  developed  vigorously. 

In  conclusion  it  should  be  said  that  if  this  report  emphasizes  the 
changes  and  alterations  in  the  administration  of  the  college  which  seem 
desirable,  and  omits  practically  all  reference  to  the  many  superior  fea¬ 
tures  that  have  been  developed  in  its  relatively  short  history,  the  state¬ 
ment  would  be  correct  and  it  is  more  or  less  inherent  in  the  nature  of 
such  a  study.  Certain  suggestions  and  recommendations  have  been  made 
for  the  improvement  of  the  administration  at  the  college,  but  with  no 
thought  of  disparaging  the  excellent  service  which  the  college  has  ren¬ 
dered  to  the  people  of  the  State.  It  is  believed  that  with  adequate  sup¬ 
port  and  with  proper  administrative  organization  and  foresight  it  can 
go  on  to  new  victories  greater  in  extent  than  lias  hitherto  seemed 
possible. 

The  possibility  of  accomplishing  these  things,  however,  does  not  lie 
primarily  in  the  nature  of  the  administrative  organization  at  the  college. 
It  is  only  the  machinery  through  which  it  will  be  accomplished.  To 
the  machinery  of  a  college  organization  must  be  added  power  and 
leadership  in  executives  and  faculty. 

For  this  reason  I  trust  it  will  be  assumed  that  the  reorganization  of 
the  administrative  system  at  the  college  will  not  be  regarded  as  an  end 
in  itself  but  only  as  the  vehicle  through  which  well-trained,  experienced 
leaders  as  executives  and  teachers  may  more  and  more  adequately  and 
satisfactorily  fulfill  the  obligations  of  the  college  to  the  citizens  of  the 

State. 


■ 


. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS 


1.  That  at  the  earliest  possible  time  the  board  of  trustees  undertake 
such  negotiations  and  adopt  such  measures  as  may  be  necessary  to  secure 
the  complete  transfer  of  all  control  over  the  activities  of  the  agricul¬ 
tural  experiment  station  and  the  agricultural  extension  service  to  the 
board  of  trustees  at  the  college,  and  that  thereafter  these  two  services 
be  administered  through  the  college  in  complete  cooperation  with  the 
work  of  resident  teaching.  The  needed  changes,  both  in  law  and  cus¬ 
tom,  should  of  course  be  worked  out  in  such  a  way  as  to  invite  the  least 
possible  friction  and  opposition  from  other  agricultural  agencies  of  the 
State  and  through  plans  which  will,  if  possible,  invite  their  cooperation 
and  support. 

2.  That  the  resident  teaching  work  of  the  college  be  organized  into 
four  main  divisions :  Agriculture,  engineering,  general  sciences,  and 
social  sciences  and  business  administration,  with  a  dean  in  direct  charge 
of  each  division. 

3.  That  the  division  of  agriculture  include  the  departments  of  (1) 
animal  husbandry  including  dairying  and  veterinary  science;  (2)  soils; 

(3)  farm  crops;  (4)  poultry  science;  (5)  horticulture  including  vege¬ 
table  gardening;  (6)  botany;  (7)  zoology  including  entomology;  (8) 
agricultural  engineering;  and  (9)  a  vice-director  of  short  courses  in 
agriculture. 

That  the  division  of  engineering  include  the  departments  of  (1)  civil 
engineering  including  highway  engineering;  (2)  mechanical  engineer¬ 
ing  including  a  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  forge  room,  the  foundry, 
the  wood  shop  and  the  machine  shop,  and  a  superintendent  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  vegetable  oil  mill;  (3)  electrical  engineering;  (4)  architectural 
engineering  including  mechanical  drawing  and  descriptive  geometry; 

’(5)  textile  engineering  and  manufacturing;  (6)  a  vice-director  of  short 
courses  in  mechanic  arts. 

That  the  division  of  general  sciences  include  the  departments  of 
(1)  chemistry;  (2)  physics  including  mechanics;  (3)  mathematics; 

(4)  English;  (5)  modern  languages;  (6)  physical  education. 

That  the  division  of  social  sciences  and  business  administration  in¬ 
clude  the  departments  of  (1)  history  and  political  science;  (2)  eco¬ 
nomics  and  business  administration;  (3)  rural  economics  and  sociology; 
(4)  engineering  administration;  (5)  vocational  education. 

4.  That  there  be  formed  an  advisory  council  to  the  president  con¬ 
sisting  of  seven  persons  including  the  president,  the  dean  of  the  college, 
the  deans  of  the  four  major  divisions  and  one  other  selected  from  a  list 
of  three  persons  nominated  by  the  general  faculty.  This  council  should 
consider  and  advise  on  such  questions  of  policy  at  the  college  and  such 
routine  affairs  as  are  referred  to  it  by  the  president. 


22 


5.  That  the  general  faculty  be  expanded  so  as  to  include  all  persons 
of  the  rank  of  assistant  professor  or  above. 

6.  That  the  office  of  dean  of  students  he  abolished  and  that  his  duties 
be  performed  by  the  dean  of  the  college. 

7.  That  the  registrar’s  office  be  responsible  for  the  evaluation  of  all 
entrance  certificates,  the  keeping  of  all  student  records  and  the  minutes 
of  the  general  faculty,  and  that  the  registrar’s  duties  as  overseer  of  the 
superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds  be  terminated. 

S.  That  there  be  employed  a  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds 
who  has  sufficient  training  and  experience  to  supervise  the  power  plant, 
the  electric  lighting  system,  the  heating  plant,  and  the  construction  of 
roads  and  sidewalks. 

9.  That  the  superintendent  of  buildings  and  grounds,  the  dining 
halls,  and  the  dormitories  be  placed  under  the  general  supervision  of 
the  business  office. 

10.  That  the  college  attempt  a  larger  program  of  physical  education 
including  a  physical  examination  of  every  student  at  least  once  a  year. 

11.  That  the  library  be  built  up  immediately,  with  as  little  duplica¬ 
tion  as  possible  in  departmental  libraries. 

12.  That  the  college  appoint  vice-directors  of  short  courses  in  agri¬ 
culture  and  mechanic  arts  who  have  the  ability,  opportunity,  and  incli¬ 
nation  to  promote  this  field  of  work  vigorously. 

13.  That  the  college  appoint  a  vice-director  of  general  extension  and 
endeavor  to  promote  this  field  of  work  as  vigorously  as  circumstances 
will  permit. 

14.  That  the  engineering  experiment  station  be  given  a  definite  appro¬ 
priation  in  order  that  it  may  make  a  beginning  along  these  lines. 

15.  That  the  number  of  semester  hours  of  credit  required  of  students 
for  graduation  be  reduced. 

16.  That  the  number  of  teaching  hours  for  members  of  the  faculty, 
especially  those  who  are  required  to  perform  administrative  work,  be 
reduced. 

17.  That  the  college  increase  its  scale  of  maximum  salaries  for  the 
several  grades  of  the  faculty,  with  due  care  to  the  promotion  of  men 
from  within  the  institution  and  the  selection  of  others  from  outside. 

18.  That  the  situation  concerning  small  classes  at  the  college  be  ex¬ 
amined  carefully  with  a  view  to  reducing  the  total  number  of  these 
classes  so  far  as  practicable  and  possible. 

19.  That  the  president  and  trustees  seek  with  great  care  to  select 
leading  and  vigorous  men  for  the  several  deanships  which  have  been 
suggested  and  for  all  other  executive  and  administrative  positions. 

20.  I  hat  the  quality  of  the  teaching  force  be  maintained  upon  a  high 
level  by  the  appointment  of  a  considerable  proportion  of  persons,  with 
teaching  experience  and  with  a  training  equivalent  to  that  presupposed 
by  the  Ph.D.  degree. 


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00031712442 


FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 


THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


Form  No.  A-368,  Rev.  8/95 


